S tand together against hate and division
Racist EDL
Not Welcome in Walsall
On Saturday 29th September a gang of racists plan to descend on
Walsall.
Their aim is to ferment hatred and division in our community.
Whatever they claim, the English Defence League’s anti-Muslim and
racist slogans and their Hitler salutes tell us who they really are.
At their heart are fascists who have been active in the British National
Party (BNP) and NF (National Front). Given the opportunity, the EDL
threaten, abuse and intimidate anyone whose skin colour or ideas they
don’t like. Their poisonous message of hate must not be allowed to go
unchallenged.
The various parts of our diverse community in multicultural Walsall live
together in harmony. We must stand up against this attempt to divide
us and to scapegoat a section of our population.
Join the peaceful and inclusive celebration of unity in our community.
Gallery Square at New Art Gallery, Walsall, WS2 8LG,
11am Saturday 29th September
Organised by We Are Walsall
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Let us say no to racism in Walsall!
Please forward this email to others who will want to take a stand against the poison of the EDL
The EDL are now clearly set to come to Walsall on Sat 29th September
The We are Walsall event is coming together and support is growing.
Stand together against hate and division
Racist EDL Not Welcome in Walsall
Come to the Forum on
Countering Racism, Fascism and Islamophobia
11am, Saturday 22nd September,
Upstairs in the East Room of 'The Crossing'
Walsall WS1 1DA - Darwall Street entrance
Contributions from anti-fascist and anti-racist campaigners, community and faith leaders and local councillors. Come and join the discussion
and
Help build the We are Walsall event the following week:
Gallery Square at New Art Gallery,
Walsall, WS2 8LG,
11am Saturday 29th September
With this event we are both celebrating a united Walsall and protesting against the EDL's attempt to promote hatred and division. By gathering on the day we will be ensuring that the EDL are tightly contained away from the Saturday crowds and cannot roam around town abusing and intimidating people, spreading their message of hate. We will be making sure that the EDL's message is not the dominant story of the day. Please continue to encourage people to attend this peaceful but determined event - the racists need to know they cannot win.
Attached is the most recent flyer, a pledge sheet developed from the earlier statement that has been circulating and an email to Walsall Councillors which has received a considerable number of positive responses.
We have been allocated an assembly point of Gallery Square and that is now included on the flyer. We will need to make a final decision as to whether to make an application to march at the meeting on Thursday.
We are Walsall meets again this Thursday 20th September, 7:15pm at Palfrey Community Centre, Milton Street, Walsall.
Please bring new people to the meeting if you can so that we can develop the momentum over the last 10 days.
Please spread the word!!
Thanks
Ian Robertson
Secretary Walsall South CLP
Thanks
Ian Robertson
Secretary Walsall South CLP
Monday, September 17, 2012
The threat from introduction of Universal Credit in 2013
17th September
You may know that this Tory Government plans to introduce Univeral Credit in October 2013.
While I think everyone would accept that the benefit system needs a continuous reform process, this step will seriously affect many of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Walsall and especially in some wards where many disadvantaged residents live. I post the concerns of many organisations that deal on a day to day basis with those at risk.
The evidence shows there is widespread concern about managing Universal Credit online, the implications of it being paid monthly and being paid to one member of a household, and the gap when the current system is phased out and the new one starts.
Ministers are very keen to ensure that the new system should be "digital by default" - in other words, managed and run online.
The new universal credit system risks causing difficulties to the 8.5 million people who have never used the internet and a further 14.5 million who have virtually no ICT skills," says Citizens Advice.
Only one in ten of claimants think it would make their lives easier”
Women's Budget Group
The public sector workers union Unison makes a similar point, as does the National Housing Federation, the umbrella group for homeless organisations, Homeless Link and Community Links, a charity based in east London, amongst others.
Concerns are raised too about paying Universal Credit monthly.
The Women's Budget Group, which describes itself as an "independent organisation bringing together individuals from academia, non-governmental organisations and trades unions to promote gender equality," also makes some observations.
It tells the MPs: "The government says monthly payment of Universal Credit mimics life in work.
"But many on low incomes in work have wages and/or benefits and tax credits paid more frequently, which matches common budgeting patterns for those on low incomes.
"Only one in ten of claimants think it would make their lives easier. Women are likely to be hit harder, as in low income families they tend to make more frequent purchases that will be squeezed as money is stretched."
There are concerns too that the payment of Universal Credit to one person in a household could, in some instances, upset the family dynamic: potentially putting that individual in a position of considerable power and influence.
Many of those who have submitted evidence are worried about how some people will cope when the changeover from the current benefits system to the Universal Credit takes place.
Work and Pensions Secretary Ian Duncan Smith wants to overcome problems in the benefits system "What consideration has been given to providing grants to cover a shortfall when transitioning from fortnightly to monthly payments, rather than claimants having to rely on budgeting advances or 'pay-day loans' which need to be re-paid?" asks Gingerbread, the charity for single parents.
Manchester City Council raise a broader concern: the effects not just on people, but communities.
We have concerns about the impacts on people but also on 'place' - either from large scale churn de-stabilising people and communities or reductions in income within areas with high concentrations of people currently on benefit."
Let's now turn to look at some of practical problems around making this change happen on time.
A wide range of organisations involved in meeting the government's deadline are clearly very worried about achieving it.
At the heart of the Universal Credit is what is known as the Real Time Information system. The aim is it will be much more responsive to people's changing circumstances.
It will require employers to report their employees' pay each time they are paid. In addition the self-employed will have to report their income every month instead of every year.
This will be a "significant and difficult burden, reliant on information from others", the Chartered Institute of Taxation tells the MPs.
The success of the Universal Credit depends on the new computer system being completed "under extremely tight timelines," the employers' organisation, the CBI says.
The new system's tight delivery timetable, coupled with low awareness among companies, is a risk to business and to the implementation of the Universal Credit."
"There is a real risk that the central government Universal Credit IT systems will not be ready on time," adds the Local Government Association, which represents councils.
So how does the government respond? Radio 4's The World This Weekend invited a minister to appear on the programme, but the invitation was declined.
In its evidence to the committee of MPs, the Department for Work and Pensions claims that "digital skills are a factor in around 72% of jobs", and so encouraging people to manage their Universal Credit online is sensible. It also saves a significant amount of money.
Advice will also be available, the department says, for those recipients who need help with managing their family budget.
"Rigorous, integrated IT testing has also commenced," it adds, pointing out it has "some of the best contingency arrangements in place across government" if things go wrong.
Do you think that this Tory run Council cares a jot about the potential effects to residents in Walsall?
Please commit yourself to supporting Labour here in Walsall who cannot stop these changes but at least are compassionate on their effects and will ( if they are in charge) try to mitigate the disastrous effects on the most vulnerable in our society.
Please post support or otherwise!
Regards
Ian Robertson
secretary Walsall South CLP
You may know that this Tory Government plans to introduce Univeral Credit in October 2013.
While I think everyone would accept that the benefit system needs a continuous reform process, this step will seriously affect many of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Walsall and especially in some wards where many disadvantaged residents live. I post the concerns of many organisations that deal on a day to day basis with those at risk.
The evidence shows there is widespread concern about managing Universal Credit online, the implications of it being paid monthly and being paid to one member of a household, and the gap when the current system is phased out and the new one starts.
Ministers are very keen to ensure that the new system should be "digital by default" - in other words, managed and run online.
The new universal credit system risks causing difficulties to the 8.5 million people who have never used the internet and a further 14.5 million who have virtually no ICT skills," says Citizens Advice.
Only one in ten of claimants think it would make their lives easier”
Women's Budget Group
The public sector workers union Unison makes a similar point, as does the National Housing Federation, the umbrella group for homeless organisations, Homeless Link and Community Links, a charity based in east London, amongst others.
Concerns are raised too about paying Universal Credit monthly.
The Women's Budget Group, which describes itself as an "independent organisation bringing together individuals from academia, non-governmental organisations and trades unions to promote gender equality," also makes some observations.
It tells the MPs: "The government says monthly payment of Universal Credit mimics life in work.
"But many on low incomes in work have wages and/or benefits and tax credits paid more frequently, which matches common budgeting patterns for those on low incomes.
"Only one in ten of claimants think it would make their lives easier. Women are likely to be hit harder, as in low income families they tend to make more frequent purchases that will be squeezed as money is stretched."
There are concerns too that the payment of Universal Credit to one person in a household could, in some instances, upset the family dynamic: potentially putting that individual in a position of considerable power and influence.
Many of those who have submitted evidence are worried about how some people will cope when the changeover from the current benefits system to the Universal Credit takes place.
Work and Pensions Secretary Ian Duncan Smith wants to overcome problems in the benefits system "What consideration has been given to providing grants to cover a shortfall when transitioning from fortnightly to monthly payments, rather than claimants having to rely on budgeting advances or 'pay-day loans' which need to be re-paid?" asks Gingerbread, the charity for single parents.
Manchester City Council raise a broader concern: the effects not just on people, but communities.
We have concerns about the impacts on people but also on 'place' - either from large scale churn de-stabilising people and communities or reductions in income within areas with high concentrations of people currently on benefit."
Let's now turn to look at some of practical problems around making this change happen on time.
A wide range of organisations involved in meeting the government's deadline are clearly very worried about achieving it.
At the heart of the Universal Credit is what is known as the Real Time Information system. The aim is it will be much more responsive to people's changing circumstances.
It will require employers to report their employees' pay each time they are paid. In addition the self-employed will have to report their income every month instead of every year.
This will be a "significant and difficult burden, reliant on information from others", the Chartered Institute of Taxation tells the MPs.
The success of the Universal Credit depends on the new computer system being completed "under extremely tight timelines," the employers' organisation, the CBI says.
The new system's tight delivery timetable, coupled with low awareness among companies, is a risk to business and to the implementation of the Universal Credit."
"There is a real risk that the central government Universal Credit IT systems will not be ready on time," adds the Local Government Association, which represents councils.
So how does the government respond? Radio 4's The World This Weekend invited a minister to appear on the programme, but the invitation was declined.
In its evidence to the committee of MPs, the Department for Work and Pensions claims that "digital skills are a factor in around 72% of jobs", and so encouraging people to manage their Universal Credit online is sensible. It also saves a significant amount of money.
Advice will also be available, the department says, for those recipients who need help with managing their family budget.
"Rigorous, integrated IT testing has also commenced," it adds, pointing out it has "some of the best contingency arrangements in place across government" if things go wrong.
Do you think that this Tory run Council cares a jot about the potential effects to residents in Walsall?
Please commit yourself to supporting Labour here in Walsall who cannot stop these changes but at least are compassionate on their effects and will ( if they are in charge) try to mitigate the disastrous effects on the most vulnerable in our society.
Please post support or otherwise!
Regards
Ian Robertson
secretary Walsall South CLP
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
April enews from Valerie Vaz MP Walsall South
April 2012
Walsall South
For further information, please visit: http://www.valerievazmp.co.uk
VALERIE WELCOMES ZAK THE ZEBRA TO WALSALL SOUTH
Valerie has welcomed Zak the Zebra to Walsall to call for a safer crossing on Darlaston Road in Pleck. Zak made an appearance with Valerie and local campaigners at the exist-ing Zebra Crossing, near the junction with Hough Road, on Friday 20 April 2012. Valerie also presented a petition of over 300 names to Parliament on Monday 23 April 2012.
Valerie said: “On 16 April 2012 I wrote to Walsall MBC to request that a signal controlled crossing is installed in place of the existing Zebra Crossing on Darlaston Road in Pleck. Residents have provided me with details of five incidents that took place on the crossing in five months between September 2011 and February 2012.”
“Drivers tend to travel fairly quickly along this busy road and the large number of parked cars means that visibility can be limited both for drivers and pedestrians, particularly chil-dren. In one incident, on 8 September 2011 a four year old boy was hit by a car on the crossing and sustained serious head inju-ries. The driver of the car was recently sentenced to 10 months in prison for dangerous driving. A woman was also hit by a car on 25 November 2011. There are several schools nearby and the potential consequences of similar incidents are far too great for immediate action not to be taken.”
Sunday Trading
On Monday 30 April 2012, Valerie voted against plans to suspend Sunday Trading Laws for a period covering the Olympic Games.
Speaking during the Bill’s Second Reading in the House of Com-mons, Valerie said: “The workers are against the Bill, small busi-nesses are against it, and it is against family values. No one wants it, and the majority of the British people will gain no benefit from it. I urge Members to vote against the Bill.”
The Bill was passed at Third Reading by 272 votes to 125. Valerie acted as a Teller for the Noes.
Valerie Acts as Teller for Food Labelling Bill
On Tuesday 24 April 2012, Valerie acted as a Teller for the Noes for the vote on Philip Davies MP’s Food Labelling (Halal and Kosher Meat) Bill 2012. The Bill con-tained provisions to com-pel retailers to label all meat slaughtered using halal or kosher methods. It was defeated by 73 votes to 70.
New Art Gallery Petition
Valerie has launched a petition calling on Walsall MBC to immediately reopen the New Art Gallery on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. This follows news that the New Art Gallery is due a substantial rebate on the Business Rates it paid from 2005 to 2010. Please click here to sign the petition.
Valerie said: “I have launched this online petition, calling on Walsall MBC to reverse the decision to close the Gallery on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays immediately. This move would cost just £30,000 per year and would enable the people of Walsall to enjoy the full benefit the Gallery can bring.”
Valerie Publishes Report into Obesity and Diabetes
This month Valerie published her report on ‘Obesity and Diabetes Programmes in England’. The re-port gives an overview of the status of obesity and diabetes and related programmes in England, us-ing data collected through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests sent to Primary Care Trusts Clusters in July 2011.
Valerie said: “Diabetes and obesity are growing public health concerns in our society. The aim of the Survey was to analyse PCT initiatives in controlling the levels of obesity and diabetes in England and to highlight possibilities for further improvement. This report draws together the information in a way that is useful to a wide audience including healthcare providers, patients, policy-makers and organiza-tions seeking to reduce diabetes and obesity in England, and interested members of the public. It is clear that stronger action is needed from the Government.”
Surgeries
Valerie holds regular surgeries. To arrange an appointment, please call the Constituency Office on 01922 635835
To Contact Valerie:
Constituency Office: 114a Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1SZ
Telephone: 01922 635835
Westminster Office: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Telephone: 020 7219 7176
Email: valerie.vaz.mp@parliament.uk
Walsall South
For further information, please visit: http://www.valerievazmp.co.uk
VALERIE WELCOMES ZAK THE ZEBRA TO WALSALL SOUTH
Valerie has welcomed Zak the Zebra to Walsall to call for a safer crossing on Darlaston Road in Pleck. Zak made an appearance with Valerie and local campaigners at the exist-ing Zebra Crossing, near the junction with Hough Road, on Friday 20 April 2012. Valerie also presented a petition of over 300 names to Parliament on Monday 23 April 2012.
Valerie said: “On 16 April 2012 I wrote to Walsall MBC to request that a signal controlled crossing is installed in place of the existing Zebra Crossing on Darlaston Road in Pleck. Residents have provided me with details of five incidents that took place on the crossing in five months between September 2011 and February 2012.”
“Drivers tend to travel fairly quickly along this busy road and the large number of parked cars means that visibility can be limited both for drivers and pedestrians, particularly chil-dren. In one incident, on 8 September 2011 a four year old boy was hit by a car on the crossing and sustained serious head inju-ries. The driver of the car was recently sentenced to 10 months in prison for dangerous driving. A woman was also hit by a car on 25 November 2011. There are several schools nearby and the potential consequences of similar incidents are far too great for immediate action not to be taken.”
Sunday Trading
On Monday 30 April 2012, Valerie voted against plans to suspend Sunday Trading Laws for a period covering the Olympic Games.
Speaking during the Bill’s Second Reading in the House of Com-mons, Valerie said: “The workers are against the Bill, small busi-nesses are against it, and it is against family values. No one wants it, and the majority of the British people will gain no benefit from it. I urge Members to vote against the Bill.”
The Bill was passed at Third Reading by 272 votes to 125. Valerie acted as a Teller for the Noes.
Valerie Acts as Teller for Food Labelling Bill
On Tuesday 24 April 2012, Valerie acted as a Teller for the Noes for the vote on Philip Davies MP’s Food Labelling (Halal and Kosher Meat) Bill 2012. The Bill con-tained provisions to com-pel retailers to label all meat slaughtered using halal or kosher methods. It was defeated by 73 votes to 70.
New Art Gallery Petition
Valerie has launched a petition calling on Walsall MBC to immediately reopen the New Art Gallery on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. This follows news that the New Art Gallery is due a substantial rebate on the Business Rates it paid from 2005 to 2010. Please click here to sign the petition.
Valerie said: “I have launched this online petition, calling on Walsall MBC to reverse the decision to close the Gallery on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays immediately. This move would cost just £30,000 per year and would enable the people of Walsall to enjoy the full benefit the Gallery can bring.”
Valerie Publishes Report into Obesity and Diabetes
This month Valerie published her report on ‘Obesity and Diabetes Programmes in England’. The re-port gives an overview of the status of obesity and diabetes and related programmes in England, us-ing data collected through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests sent to Primary Care Trusts Clusters in July 2011.
Valerie said: “Diabetes and obesity are growing public health concerns in our society. The aim of the Survey was to analyse PCT initiatives in controlling the levels of obesity and diabetes in England and to highlight possibilities for further improvement. This report draws together the information in a way that is useful to a wide audience including healthcare providers, patients, policy-makers and organiza-tions seeking to reduce diabetes and obesity in England, and interested members of the public. It is clear that stronger action is needed from the Government.”
Surgeries
Valerie holds regular surgeries. To arrange an appointment, please call the Constituency Office on 01922 635835
To Contact Valerie:
Constituency Office: 114a Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1SZ
Telephone: 01922 635835
Westminster Office: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Telephone: 020 7219 7176
Email: valerie.vaz.mp@parliament.uk
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Labour Manifesto for May 3rd Elections
“
“YOUR VOICE IN TOUGH TIMES”
THE WALSALL LABOUR MANIFESTO FOR THE 2012 COUNCIL ELECTIONS
The Conservative government has let down people in the borough of Walsall - with the backing of the Liberal Democrats. And the local Tories are not standing up for local people.
The people of the distinct and proud communities that make up our borough have a history of hard work, independence and self-reliance which made it a watch word for craftsmanship, high quality and innovation. The term “Made in Walsall” was something looked for, and to be proud of. That accolade was earned by the endeavors of its people; by their industry, their vision, their determination not to just make do or accept that “it is good enough”, because they wanted better for themselves and their children.
But during the industrial decline of the 1980s our borough has seen the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, our wages fell well below the national and regional average - and remain so. Our public health has split into an east / west divide where those in the more deprived areas die, on average, eight years earlier than those in the leafy suburbs. Our education system lags behind the rest of the country in almost every significant aspect.
Between 1997 and 2010, the Labour government made good on its pledges to invest in health, in education, in jobs and economic growth. . With the support of the Labour government, we have a new hospital, a new college and there was a chance that our manufacturing industry might be able to start to grow again. But from 2000 the borough has been controlled by the Conservatives with, at times, support from the Lib Dems, and the opportunities of that economic growth were too often wasted.
Now with a Conservative-led national government, supported by the Liberal Democrats, we have seen a return to mass unemployment, cuts in health and education, and a manufacturing industry struggling to survive. Since being elected this government has cut a staggering £100 million from our council’s budget. On top of this, there are cuts in our NHS, in our police and emergency services. There have been wholesale reductions in services to the elderly, disabled and the most deprived.
For hardworking families home re-possession has become a constant fear as they struggle to pay the bills, while our town centre now hits the headlines - not for the quality for its goods, but for its record number of empty shops.
While other councils around the country - including Conservative run authorities - have spoken up and tried to defend their communities against savage cuts, our council has meekly accepted these attacks on the services we rely on. Local Tories tell us that Walsall has to be run like a business. Well if that is true then under their leadership the borough increasingly resembles a shop with empty shelves whose political management settles for second best - whilst it should be remembered has for the last two years tried to give itself a pay rise.
But this year, in 2012, we have the opportunity to change how our borough is run. We have a chance in May’s elections to get rid of the incompetent Tory management and their Lib Dem supporters.
A Labour run council cannot change the economic policy of a Government run by ex-Eton schoolboys who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. But at every opportunity we will defend our borough and its people. And for starters, a Labour council will cut the councillors’ allowance bill by £50,000.
Over the next two years a Labour run Walsall council will make sure the needs of its most vulnerable clients and communities and the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods are protected. It will fight to use regeneration schemes to bring high skilled, high paid jobs to the borough. It will seek to organise education so that children from Suretstart to Sixth Form share in the best practice and most effective support so all our youngsters can move forward and none are left behind. In social care we will demand and deliver a fair and sympathetic approach to needs assessments of the disabled and the elderly. We will turn the council’s £900,000 communication’s unit into a tool that doesn’t tell people how well the council’s political leaders think they are doing, but instead asks voters, ‘how can we do better?’
Who will now dare to tell us that "We are all in this together" ?
FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE
Fairness in service delivery, ensuring equality in resources, cutting waste and delivering better governance starting at the top.
The Conservative budget cuts go too far and too fast, are disproportionate to local government as a whole and to our borough in particular. Furthermore a wide range of studies show that Walsall and the Black Country are amongst the least resilient areas across the country, in terms of the impact on our local economy, increases in unemployment, house re-possessions, rising child poverty - and all the social challenges which will inevitably follow.
The primary role of a Walsall Labour council will be to defend our local communities in the face of the “bankers’ recession”. We recognise that our borough needs financial stability - it would help none of our disadvantaged communities to have a bankrupt council.
We will address widespread elements of unfairness and inequalities currently present in the allocation of resources in all areas of life in Walsall. We recognise that the current central Government is cutting support for Walsall. We must therefore use current funds as effectively as possible, look at every opportunity to develop new funding streams for Walsall, use high-level negotiating skills before signing any contracts, and merge fragmented services where possible into a single commissioning contract. We will place the vital contribution of the voluntary sector at the heart of our strategic plan for Walsall.
Labour will therefore undertake a “root and branch” review of council structures and external contracts, in order to create “value for money” and the flexibility and finance to invest in our local neighbourhoods.
Furthermore the following policy priorities and principles should underpin the implementation of budget decisions :
• to protect the needs of the most vulnerable clients and communities
• to protect services within the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Our local Conservatives often tell us that our council should be run as a business. However during their decade in power it is well documented that in excess of £30 million has been lost through errors, misjudgements, project overspends and mismanagement - monies which in other circumstances would have been in our financial reserves and available for use in tough times.
Walsall Labour will give greater priority to the Council’s audit committee and function, with greater emphasis on independent advice and participation. We will improve the accountability of Cabinet decisions, with all relevant minutes reported to full council meetings.
Walsall Labour will revise the current Councillor allowance scheme, within an overall budget reduction of £50,000 over the two year council term.
We would retain a positive “critical friend” relationships and “open door” policy with local trade unions - and will support national not local pay bargaining. Whilst we are unable to make unrealistic promises in the economic circumstance of local government, we also share many common interests.
CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND EDUCATION
Shaping futures for our youngsters, protecting our children, supporting families and building stepping stones for successful lives.
There is much to celebrate and be proud of in the achievements of our children and young people. But the sad fact remains that Walsall’s performance in terms of academic attainment remains well below the national average. Despite recent welcome improvements at key stages 2 (age 11) and 4 (GCSE / O-level), our borough is currently ranked nationally at 144 out of 151 councils at both early years / foundation stage and key stage 5 (A-level). Furthermore attainment is very patchy, with outcomes in the most disadvantaged areas proving year on year that there has been insufficient investment and resources.
Many of our schools across the borough are being forced into academy status. We worry that this is not based on any evidence of educational advantage, but on political dogma. Academy and “free” schools are accountable only to the Secretary of State, which leaves a vacuum in local leadership and responsibility.
Whilst Labour agrees that the SERCO contract is no longer viable in the face of these policy changes (and indeed opposed the extension of the contract in 2008) we have major concerns about the potential vacuum between the local authority and local schools. We strongly believe that there is a responsibility to support, monitor and scrutinise education and schools across the borough whatever their status - both within and without of the local authority family.
We would therefore develop an educational partnership to understand and oversee educational performance and attainment, health and well-being, progress and prospects for our children and young people at all stages of their development. We believe that there remains a crucial need for strategic leadership at a council level, to support local children, parents and families to achieve the best start in life.
Walsall Labour welcomes the continuing local commitment to Surestart programmes for young children and their families. We will ensure that good practice and partnership working are shared across the sector to improve support to challenging families and personal development and performance within nursery and early years settings.
We will ensure that young people are provided with a suitable range of sport and other positive activities. We will also work closely with and recognise the importance of the key role our voluntary sector plays in helping to achieve positive outcomes for young people. This must be balanced with reassurance that anti-social behaviour will be firmly tackled within the wider context of neighbourhood management and community safety.
SOCIAL CARE AND HEALTH
Protecting our elderly and vulnerable, fighting health poverty, defending OUR NHS
Provision of effective and efficient social care and health are at the heart of a caring society. Inequality, disadvantage and poverty are major determinants as to quality of life and health enjoyed by local people across Walsall.
It is recognised that there are increasing demographic pressures on budgets, both through the increasing numbers of elderly people and the very high numbers of people in Walsall with long-term illness and conditions. Labour supports the important principle of preventative measures to assist people to live as independently as possible, caring for people as close to home as possible, along with the crucial importance of integrated working between social care and NHS services.
However government policy has also forced major budget pressures being implemented in Social Care, which already in Walsall indicate savings since 2010 of over £40 million, which is equivalent to nearly 30% of the initial budget. Furthermore the dogmatic pursuit of the current so-called "reform" of the NHS has led to massive uncertainty as to the future.
Walsall Labour will ensure that a free community alarm / telecare service is available to all residents over 80 years of age resident in the Borough, and will investigate the possible extension of this provision to other vulnerable adults.
We will amend the current benefits-based charging policy so as to ensure that service users no longer have to pay for services which they do not receive.
We will ensure improvements in relation to :
• a fair but sympathetic approach to needs assessments,
• better communication with service users, including charging formats
• named person contacts to provide continuity and assurance.
We will campaign against privatisation of the NHS, and in the short-term retain a separate health scrutiny function within council structures. We will work to retain joined-up commissioning approaches with NHS partners, including a wide range of general services and including mental health and learning disability, and support the establishment of a strong health and well-being board, able to scrutinise and challenge commissioning decisions.
REGENERATION
Creating skilled jobs, fighting low pay and low expectations, building for the future, protecting our environment
The past ten years of Conservative and Lib-Dem administration in Walsall has yielded little for our most vulnerable communities. They have relied too heavily on major projects to the detriment of our district centres and our most deprived neighbourhoods. Walsall’s Meanwhile the Conservative-led administration has continually taken advantage of the Labour governments’ commitment to spend money on regeneration, claiming credit for millions of government spending on projects such as the ring road, Walsall Manor Hospital, Walsall College - and £50 million alone in the Bloxwich New Deal Area.
Since the Coalition Government came into power, Walsall’s Conservative-led council has fully supported a package of cuts that are now starting to have a negative impact on our most vulnerable residents. The demise of the Future Jobs Fund Training Scheme and the abolition of the Educational Maintenance Allowance have inflicted extreme hardship on young people, with youth unemployment at a level not seen since the early 1980s.
The Conservative-led council’s regeneration strategy has led to a Walsall town centre that is disjointed, unfocused, and full of abandoned retail premises. Walsall Conservative’s housing strategy is in disarray, failing to deliver on the much-needed affordable family homes that they promised, with district centres - the very towns that make up Walsall - starved of investment.
Walsall Labour will ensure that this picture is reversed, by using council assets to support growth in the economy, creating much needed employment. We will work closely with our colleagues across the Black Country to ensure that the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership delivers the sustainable re-development of the Darlaston / Walsall enterprise zone.
We will ensure that Walsall Adult and Community College is neighbourhood-focused and works more closely in a sustainable partnership with our Voluntary and Community sector - so that the skills gap is closed and that everyone gets the opportunity to better themselves without prejudice to where they live.
New models of housing investment will be developed to ensure families and individuals have adequate housing and choices of tenure, and we will develop more co-operative housing models to ensure tenants are empowered to take control of their communities.
Walsall Labour will:
• support young people into work
• create housing co-operatives
• deliver regeneration of Darlaston / Walsall enterprise zone
• work with local businesses toward sustainable and skilled employment
• encourage housing developments that meet the needs of our residents
• ensure our college supports our commitment to neighbourhood regeneration.
ENVIRONMENT (TRANSPORT AND PLANNING)
Supporting and encouraging businesses and investment, delivering cleaner and greener communities, review parking charges and stop discouraging motorists and visitors, making planning work for communities by listening and acting on residents’ views.
Recycling has always been high on the agenda for Walsall, and government targets have continually encouraged the council to do what is right for the environment in local and global terms. But under the savage cuts in local government spending, the pressure will be on to change service delivery to suit limited budgets instead of what is right for the community.
Cleaner streets are what local people expect from a good local council. Unfortunately the Conservative-led council have failed to listen to Labour pleas to provide a fair and equal service across our borough. Often this leaves many of our communities abandoned to rubbish and fly tipping as a normal daily experience, whilst lack of meaningful enforcement has led to our streets becoming blighted. We believe is unacceptable.
Transport in Walsall has benefited from major investment during the Labour Government years, but local decision-making by the Conservative-led council oversaw massive overspends on the ring road, putting pressure on other local road repair projects and inadequately dealing with potholes.
The Conservative-led council has continually failed to play a full role regionally, allowing other areas to get major investment in rail and road projects, with no sign of any metro line coming into our borough.
We welcome the principles of the localism agenda by the Government and will support any legislation that puts planning decisions closer to the communities it effects ; however we also recognise the negative view that this may mitigate to oppose planning applications rather than supporting positive change. We believe that planning is a tool to allow neighbourhoods to regenerate and the local economy to grow, and thus will take a more positive stance to enable communities to work together to ensure that new developments and regeneration are neighbourhood-based and supported through our Neighbourhood Management model.
Walsall Labour will :
• ensure recycling is affordable and accessible to all our neighbourhoods
• make neighbourhoods cleaner and greener, where necessary through the use of more effective enforcement powers
• ensure Walsall gets its fair share of investment in our roads and public transport
• review Walsall town centre car parking
• make planning work for communities
• bring decision making back to local people and empower people to play an active role and take pride in their borough.
NEIGHBOURHOODS
Fighting crime , creating safe communities, acting on residents’ concerns, listening to peoples’ needs not telling them what they should want!
Following many years of campaigning by Walsall Labour for the introduction of a Neighbourhood Management model of working in Walsall, the Conservative administration finally caved in and introduced it. We welcomed the better partnership working that this change brought and the impact it had on our neighbourhoods. Unfortunately they neglected one of the most important parts of Neighbourhood Management - that is our residents.
So many things that are important to people happens on their door step and affect them daily. Our Police service is based on neighbourhoods, our schools are based in neighbourhoods, our doctors are in our neighbourhoods - and our neighbourhoods are made up of people. So why does the council finally get all the services working together, but then make it difficult for YOU - the people that matter - to influence how those services work on your behalf ?
Crime and anti-social behaviour happens in our streets and our neighbourhoods ; fly tipping and litter happens in our streets and our neighbourhoods. Our homes, our streets and our neighbourhoods are crucial to our quality of life. Walsall Labour believes that this is where services should be targeted and where people can have a real say in how our council works.
Walsall Labour believes that the regeneration of our communities should be delivered within our neighbourhoods, allowing residents to take control of their own destiny and supporting them to make their neighbourhood the best it can be.
Walsall Labour will :
• develop the Neighbourhood Management model to benefit the most vulnerable
• make residents equal partners in service delivery
• build better partnerships to tackle anti-social behaviour, crime and make our neighbourhoods safer to live in
• support the Voluntary and Community Sector in delivering better services for people
• put people first.
We keep our promises.. Please vote Labour on May 3rd
published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road Walsall WS1 3AU
“YOUR VOICE IN TOUGH TIMES”
THE WALSALL LABOUR MANIFESTO FOR THE 2012 COUNCIL ELECTIONS
The Conservative government has let down people in the borough of Walsall - with the backing of the Liberal Democrats. And the local Tories are not standing up for local people.
The people of the distinct and proud communities that make up our borough have a history of hard work, independence and self-reliance which made it a watch word for craftsmanship, high quality and innovation. The term “Made in Walsall” was something looked for, and to be proud of. That accolade was earned by the endeavors of its people; by their industry, their vision, their determination not to just make do or accept that “it is good enough”, because they wanted better for themselves and their children.
But during the industrial decline of the 1980s our borough has seen the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, our wages fell well below the national and regional average - and remain so. Our public health has split into an east / west divide where those in the more deprived areas die, on average, eight years earlier than those in the leafy suburbs. Our education system lags behind the rest of the country in almost every significant aspect.
Between 1997 and 2010, the Labour government made good on its pledges to invest in health, in education, in jobs and economic growth. . With the support of the Labour government, we have a new hospital, a new college and there was a chance that our manufacturing industry might be able to start to grow again. But from 2000 the borough has been controlled by the Conservatives with, at times, support from the Lib Dems, and the opportunities of that economic growth were too often wasted.
Now with a Conservative-led national government, supported by the Liberal Democrats, we have seen a return to mass unemployment, cuts in health and education, and a manufacturing industry struggling to survive. Since being elected this government has cut a staggering £100 million from our council’s budget. On top of this, there are cuts in our NHS, in our police and emergency services. There have been wholesale reductions in services to the elderly, disabled and the most deprived.
For hardworking families home re-possession has become a constant fear as they struggle to pay the bills, while our town centre now hits the headlines - not for the quality for its goods, but for its record number of empty shops.
While other councils around the country - including Conservative run authorities - have spoken up and tried to defend their communities against savage cuts, our council has meekly accepted these attacks on the services we rely on. Local Tories tell us that Walsall has to be run like a business. Well if that is true then under their leadership the borough increasingly resembles a shop with empty shelves whose political management settles for second best - whilst it should be remembered has for the last two years tried to give itself a pay rise.
But this year, in 2012, we have the opportunity to change how our borough is run. We have a chance in May’s elections to get rid of the incompetent Tory management and their Lib Dem supporters.
A Labour run council cannot change the economic policy of a Government run by ex-Eton schoolboys who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. But at every opportunity we will defend our borough and its people. And for starters, a Labour council will cut the councillors’ allowance bill by £50,000.
Over the next two years a Labour run Walsall council will make sure the needs of its most vulnerable clients and communities and the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods are protected. It will fight to use regeneration schemes to bring high skilled, high paid jobs to the borough. It will seek to organise education so that children from Suretstart to Sixth Form share in the best practice and most effective support so all our youngsters can move forward and none are left behind. In social care we will demand and deliver a fair and sympathetic approach to needs assessments of the disabled and the elderly. We will turn the council’s £900,000 communication’s unit into a tool that doesn’t tell people how well the council’s political leaders think they are doing, but instead asks voters, ‘how can we do better?’
Who will now dare to tell us that "We are all in this together" ?
FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE
Fairness in service delivery, ensuring equality in resources, cutting waste and delivering better governance starting at the top.
The Conservative budget cuts go too far and too fast, are disproportionate to local government as a whole and to our borough in particular. Furthermore a wide range of studies show that Walsall and the Black Country are amongst the least resilient areas across the country, in terms of the impact on our local economy, increases in unemployment, house re-possessions, rising child poverty - and all the social challenges which will inevitably follow.
The primary role of a Walsall Labour council will be to defend our local communities in the face of the “bankers’ recession”. We recognise that our borough needs financial stability - it would help none of our disadvantaged communities to have a bankrupt council.
We will address widespread elements of unfairness and inequalities currently present in the allocation of resources in all areas of life in Walsall. We recognise that the current central Government is cutting support for Walsall. We must therefore use current funds as effectively as possible, look at every opportunity to develop new funding streams for Walsall, use high-level negotiating skills before signing any contracts, and merge fragmented services where possible into a single commissioning contract. We will place the vital contribution of the voluntary sector at the heart of our strategic plan for Walsall.
Labour will therefore undertake a “root and branch” review of council structures and external contracts, in order to create “value for money” and the flexibility and finance to invest in our local neighbourhoods.
Furthermore the following policy priorities and principles should underpin the implementation of budget decisions :
• to protect the needs of the most vulnerable clients and communities
• to protect services within the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Our local Conservatives often tell us that our council should be run as a business. However during their decade in power it is well documented that in excess of £30 million has been lost through errors, misjudgements, project overspends and mismanagement - monies which in other circumstances would have been in our financial reserves and available for use in tough times.
Walsall Labour will give greater priority to the Council’s audit committee and function, with greater emphasis on independent advice and participation. We will improve the accountability of Cabinet decisions, with all relevant minutes reported to full council meetings.
Walsall Labour will revise the current Councillor allowance scheme, within an overall budget reduction of £50,000 over the two year council term.
We would retain a positive “critical friend” relationships and “open door” policy with local trade unions - and will support national not local pay bargaining. Whilst we are unable to make unrealistic promises in the economic circumstance of local government, we also share many common interests.
CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND EDUCATION
Shaping futures for our youngsters, protecting our children, supporting families and building stepping stones for successful lives.
There is much to celebrate and be proud of in the achievements of our children and young people. But the sad fact remains that Walsall’s performance in terms of academic attainment remains well below the national average. Despite recent welcome improvements at key stages 2 (age 11) and 4 (GCSE / O-level), our borough is currently ranked nationally at 144 out of 151 councils at both early years / foundation stage and key stage 5 (A-level). Furthermore attainment is very patchy, with outcomes in the most disadvantaged areas proving year on year that there has been insufficient investment and resources.
Many of our schools across the borough are being forced into academy status. We worry that this is not based on any evidence of educational advantage, but on political dogma. Academy and “free” schools are accountable only to the Secretary of State, which leaves a vacuum in local leadership and responsibility.
Whilst Labour agrees that the SERCO contract is no longer viable in the face of these policy changes (and indeed opposed the extension of the contract in 2008) we have major concerns about the potential vacuum between the local authority and local schools. We strongly believe that there is a responsibility to support, monitor and scrutinise education and schools across the borough whatever their status - both within and without of the local authority family.
We would therefore develop an educational partnership to understand and oversee educational performance and attainment, health and well-being, progress and prospects for our children and young people at all stages of their development. We believe that there remains a crucial need for strategic leadership at a council level, to support local children, parents and families to achieve the best start in life.
Walsall Labour welcomes the continuing local commitment to Surestart programmes for young children and their families. We will ensure that good practice and partnership working are shared across the sector to improve support to challenging families and personal development and performance within nursery and early years settings.
We will ensure that young people are provided with a suitable range of sport and other positive activities. We will also work closely with and recognise the importance of the key role our voluntary sector plays in helping to achieve positive outcomes for young people. This must be balanced with reassurance that anti-social behaviour will be firmly tackled within the wider context of neighbourhood management and community safety.
SOCIAL CARE AND HEALTH
Protecting our elderly and vulnerable, fighting health poverty, defending OUR NHS
Provision of effective and efficient social care and health are at the heart of a caring society. Inequality, disadvantage and poverty are major determinants as to quality of life and health enjoyed by local people across Walsall.
It is recognised that there are increasing demographic pressures on budgets, both through the increasing numbers of elderly people and the very high numbers of people in Walsall with long-term illness and conditions. Labour supports the important principle of preventative measures to assist people to live as independently as possible, caring for people as close to home as possible, along with the crucial importance of integrated working between social care and NHS services.
However government policy has also forced major budget pressures being implemented in Social Care, which already in Walsall indicate savings since 2010 of over £40 million, which is equivalent to nearly 30% of the initial budget. Furthermore the dogmatic pursuit of the current so-called "reform" of the NHS has led to massive uncertainty as to the future.
Walsall Labour will ensure that a free community alarm / telecare service is available to all residents over 80 years of age resident in the Borough, and will investigate the possible extension of this provision to other vulnerable adults.
We will amend the current benefits-based charging policy so as to ensure that service users no longer have to pay for services which they do not receive.
We will ensure improvements in relation to :
• a fair but sympathetic approach to needs assessments,
• better communication with service users, including charging formats
• named person contacts to provide continuity and assurance.
We will campaign against privatisation of the NHS, and in the short-term retain a separate health scrutiny function within council structures. We will work to retain joined-up commissioning approaches with NHS partners, including a wide range of general services and including mental health and learning disability, and support the establishment of a strong health and well-being board, able to scrutinise and challenge commissioning decisions.
REGENERATION
Creating skilled jobs, fighting low pay and low expectations, building for the future, protecting our environment
The past ten years of Conservative and Lib-Dem administration in Walsall has yielded little for our most vulnerable communities. They have relied too heavily on major projects to the detriment of our district centres and our most deprived neighbourhoods. Walsall’s Meanwhile the Conservative-led administration has continually taken advantage of the Labour governments’ commitment to spend money on regeneration, claiming credit for millions of government spending on projects such as the ring road, Walsall Manor Hospital, Walsall College - and £50 million alone in the Bloxwich New Deal Area.
Since the Coalition Government came into power, Walsall’s Conservative-led council has fully supported a package of cuts that are now starting to have a negative impact on our most vulnerable residents. The demise of the Future Jobs Fund Training Scheme and the abolition of the Educational Maintenance Allowance have inflicted extreme hardship on young people, with youth unemployment at a level not seen since the early 1980s.
The Conservative-led council’s regeneration strategy has led to a Walsall town centre that is disjointed, unfocused, and full of abandoned retail premises. Walsall Conservative’s housing strategy is in disarray, failing to deliver on the much-needed affordable family homes that they promised, with district centres - the very towns that make up Walsall - starved of investment.
Walsall Labour will ensure that this picture is reversed, by using council assets to support growth in the economy, creating much needed employment. We will work closely with our colleagues across the Black Country to ensure that the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership delivers the sustainable re-development of the Darlaston / Walsall enterprise zone.
We will ensure that Walsall Adult and Community College is neighbourhood-focused and works more closely in a sustainable partnership with our Voluntary and Community sector - so that the skills gap is closed and that everyone gets the opportunity to better themselves without prejudice to where they live.
New models of housing investment will be developed to ensure families and individuals have adequate housing and choices of tenure, and we will develop more co-operative housing models to ensure tenants are empowered to take control of their communities.
Walsall Labour will:
• support young people into work
• create housing co-operatives
• deliver regeneration of Darlaston / Walsall enterprise zone
• work with local businesses toward sustainable and skilled employment
• encourage housing developments that meet the needs of our residents
• ensure our college supports our commitment to neighbourhood regeneration.
ENVIRONMENT (TRANSPORT AND PLANNING)
Supporting and encouraging businesses and investment, delivering cleaner and greener communities, review parking charges and stop discouraging motorists and visitors, making planning work for communities by listening and acting on residents’ views.
Recycling has always been high on the agenda for Walsall, and government targets have continually encouraged the council to do what is right for the environment in local and global terms. But under the savage cuts in local government spending, the pressure will be on to change service delivery to suit limited budgets instead of what is right for the community.
Cleaner streets are what local people expect from a good local council. Unfortunately the Conservative-led council have failed to listen to Labour pleas to provide a fair and equal service across our borough. Often this leaves many of our communities abandoned to rubbish and fly tipping as a normal daily experience, whilst lack of meaningful enforcement has led to our streets becoming blighted. We believe is unacceptable.
Transport in Walsall has benefited from major investment during the Labour Government years, but local decision-making by the Conservative-led council oversaw massive overspends on the ring road, putting pressure on other local road repair projects and inadequately dealing with potholes.
The Conservative-led council has continually failed to play a full role regionally, allowing other areas to get major investment in rail and road projects, with no sign of any metro line coming into our borough.
We welcome the principles of the localism agenda by the Government and will support any legislation that puts planning decisions closer to the communities it effects ; however we also recognise the negative view that this may mitigate to oppose planning applications rather than supporting positive change. We believe that planning is a tool to allow neighbourhoods to regenerate and the local economy to grow, and thus will take a more positive stance to enable communities to work together to ensure that new developments and regeneration are neighbourhood-based and supported through our Neighbourhood Management model.
Walsall Labour will :
• ensure recycling is affordable and accessible to all our neighbourhoods
• make neighbourhoods cleaner and greener, where necessary through the use of more effective enforcement powers
• ensure Walsall gets its fair share of investment in our roads and public transport
• review Walsall town centre car parking
• make planning work for communities
• bring decision making back to local people and empower people to play an active role and take pride in their borough.
NEIGHBOURHOODS
Fighting crime , creating safe communities, acting on residents’ concerns, listening to peoples’ needs not telling them what they should want!
Following many years of campaigning by Walsall Labour for the introduction of a Neighbourhood Management model of working in Walsall, the Conservative administration finally caved in and introduced it. We welcomed the better partnership working that this change brought and the impact it had on our neighbourhoods. Unfortunately they neglected one of the most important parts of Neighbourhood Management - that is our residents.
So many things that are important to people happens on their door step and affect them daily. Our Police service is based on neighbourhoods, our schools are based in neighbourhoods, our doctors are in our neighbourhoods - and our neighbourhoods are made up of people. So why does the council finally get all the services working together, but then make it difficult for YOU - the people that matter - to influence how those services work on your behalf ?
Crime and anti-social behaviour happens in our streets and our neighbourhoods ; fly tipping and litter happens in our streets and our neighbourhoods. Our homes, our streets and our neighbourhoods are crucial to our quality of life. Walsall Labour believes that this is where services should be targeted and where people can have a real say in how our council works.
Walsall Labour believes that the regeneration of our communities should be delivered within our neighbourhoods, allowing residents to take control of their own destiny and supporting them to make their neighbourhood the best it can be.
Walsall Labour will :
• develop the Neighbourhood Management model to benefit the most vulnerable
• make residents equal partners in service delivery
• build better partnerships to tackle anti-social behaviour, crime and make our neighbourhoods safer to live in
• support the Voluntary and Community Sector in delivering better services for people
• put people first.
We keep our promises.. Please vote Labour on May 3rd
published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road Walsall WS1 3AU
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Labour Pledge on the NHS
Now that the Health and Social Bill has gained Royal Assent, Labour in local government is the last line of defence to protect the NHS.
This ‘NHS Pledge’ enables Labour council and elected mayor candidates to campaign on the NHS in the local elections and to show how, if elected, they will work to hold GPs and hospitals to account in their areas.
The ‘NHS Pledge’ details core principles that can be adopted by Health and Well-being Boards .
.Labour has developed these pledges in an attempt to mitigate the worst effects of the Health and Social care Act.
• The pledges can be adopted by the Health and Wellbeing Boards as a statement of policy and a local NHS Forum established to encourage commissioners and providers in the local area to do the same.
• The Government denied that the HSC Bill would lead to charging, a postcode lottery, restricting the provision of treatment, waiting-time breaches and a free-market free-for-all.
• We already have examples which illustrate the reality on the ground and why the pledges are necessary to protect NHS services for patients.
If we gain those extra 4 seats that will give Labour a majority on Walsall Council. We are appalled at the allocated £18 million allocated to do the re0orgainsation in Walsall Money that should have been spent on patient care.
We will work to protect your NHS – its existing strengths, service standards and prevailing ethos.
To do this, we will ask our local Health and Well-being Board to adopt the following principles as a statement of intent for the NHS in [insert]. Working through the Board, all NHS commissioners and providers will be asked to agree to work towards these shared principles.
1. NHS founding values
We will work to:
guarantee universal access to comprehensive health services in accordance with NHS founding values;
• prevent the encroachment of charging for services currently provided free by the NHS;
• ensure access to NHS treatment is available according to need, based on clinical guidelines and not routinely restricted according to factors such as Body Mass Index (BMI) or lifestyle choices.
Examples
• A GP practice in York (Haxby) has sent a letter to their patients with the charges shown for certain treatments that are currently free on the NHS.
• Some NHS Trusts are routinely restricting treatment based on BMI and lifestyle choices.
2. Postcode lottery
We will work to:
• avoid the emergence of a postcode lottery in this area, and across this region, by providing comparable entitlement and access to NHS treatment for all based on NICE recommendations.
Examples
• An elderly patient in the South-East died because the PCT was not given funding for a Trans-Catheter Aortic Valve Implant.
• A precision engineer from Oldham was diagnosed with cataracts and had his operation refused.
3. Waiting times
We will work to:
• keep waiting times down by maintaining the three main established standards for access to treatment (4-hour A&E; 18 weeks for elective treatment; urgent cancer referral);
• ensure the lifting of the private patient cap for NHS Foundation Trusts does not adversely impact on waiting times for NHS patients.
Examples
• The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s Stretched to the Limit report found that patients are waiting up to 27 weeks to access physiotherapy, potentially causing their condition to worsen.
• Since May 2010 there has been a 25% increase in the number of patients who waited over 18 weeks for treatment.
• For thirteen out of the last fifteen weeks hospitals have failed to meet the Government's own lowered A&E target.
• Since the election, there has been a 59% increase in the number of patients waiting longer than 6 weeks for key diagnostic tests.
4. Collaboration over competition
We will work to:
• resist the drive towards privatisation and a free-market free-for-all in health, leading to the fragmentation and de-stabilisation of existing NHS hospitals and services;
• secure the optimum configuration of services for patients across this local authority area and this region as a whole by working together;
• seek to maintain an agreed approach to pay and conditions for NHS staff both locally and across the region based upon the existing national framework;
• operate on a ‘no surprises’ basis, establish an agreed process, period of notice and consultation for all commissioning and contracting decisions;
• integrate budgets for commissioning adult social care and children’s services with the NHS;
• introduce a ‘whole-person approach’ to care, integrating NHS services with social care and mental health services.
Examples
• All HIV Out Patient Department services are going out to tender to Ealing.
• Croydon university A&E minor injuries won by Assura virgin therefore private nurses will be working in cubicles side by side with NHS staff and not as a team.
5. Patients before profits
We will work to:
• ensure the doctor/patient relationship is not undermined by financial incentives and that public trust is maintained in clinical decision-making;
• provide strong safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest leading to loss of public trust in NHS provision;
• ensure patient choice is not restricted by the way services are commissioned or provided.
Examples
• In Bury St Edmonds GPs are opening up pharmacies in their surgeries – prescribing and dispensing medicine.
• Contracting out of drug and alcohol rehab services at south west London mental health contract won by Sussex based in Crawley so mental health patients have to travel.
published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road walsall WS1 3AU on behalf of the Labour Party Walsall c/o Wilkes street Willenhall
Friday, March 30, 2012
March enews from Valerie Vaz MP
March 2012
Walsall South
To Contact Valerie:
Constituency Office: 114a Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1SZ
Telephone: 01922 635835
Westminster Office: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Telephone: 020 7219 7176
Email: valerie.vaz.mp@parliament.uk
For further information, please visit: http://www.valerievazmp.co.uk
VALERIE WELCOMES COUNCIL U-TURN ON BAIL HOSTEL
Valerie has welcomed confirmation that the former Moxley Infants School site will be sold with a development brief for residential use, ruling out plans for a 40 bed bail hostel to be opened on the site.
“I am astonished that the Council thought it could do a behind the scenes deal with the Staffs and West Midlands Probation Trust to sell the land for a bail hostel. I had to step in to find out what was going on so that local residents could be informed. In my view, the questions that we asked and the Trust’s failure to engage with local residents’ reasonable concerns made it impossible for this development to go ahead.”
Valerie said: “After pressure, the Council has made a rapid u-turn and announced that it has decided to sell the site with a devel-opment brief for residential uses. The Trust has confirmed to me that the Council will not sell it the land and that plans to open a 40 bed bail hostel on the site will now not go ahead.”
“I wrote to the Chief Executive of Walsall MCB on 9 March 2012 to seek confirmation that this means the site must be used for housing and not for a bail hostel. He has confirmed to me that the Council will not sell the land to the Trust.”
Health and Social Care Act
In Parliament, Valerie opposed the Health and Social Care Act and called on the Government to abandon its reorganisation of the National Health Service.
Speaking in the House of Commons during an urgent Opposi-tion Debate on 13 March 2012, Valerie said: “If the Bill was so good in the first place and so necessary, why did it have a pause for a rethink? There have been almost 2000 amend-ments but the Bill is still unclear: if GPs are in control why are there commissioning support groups? Who are the groups accountable to? The Secretary of State says that the numbers of managers are being cut, but management consultants are crawling all over the NHS.”
“A GP wrote to me to say that GPs are disengaged and uninspired with the Bill. GPs have no ex-perience of a business model. Nor do they want to be business managers.”
The Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012 .
International Women’s Day
On 8 March 2012, Valerie spoke during a Commons debate marking International Women’s Day 2012.
Valerie said: “Not for nothing are the scales of justice held by a woman. It is our right to be treated as equals. It is not only our right, but our duty, to get justice and equality for the next genera-tion.”
Mencap Event
On 2 March 2012 Valerie spoke about social care and rights for people with a learning disability, at the County Hotel in Walsall.
Valerie said: “There needs to be much more integration of services for people with disabilities and older peo-ple. Care Trusts such as Torbay have been pioneer-ing integrated care but I am concerned that this will be disrupted under the NHS reorganisation.”
High Parking Charges
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Valerie reveal that Walsall Borough Council’s income from parking charges exceeded £1.1 million from November 2010 to November 2011.
Valerie said: “I was appalled to learn that Walsall MBC’s income from parking charges from No-vember 2010 to November 2011 was £1,185,395. The breakdown of the figures showed that more than £611,269 was income from Penalty Charge Notices and £566,486 was raised from the sale of parking tickets.”
“The parking regime in Walsall is out of control. It is difficult to see how a well run scheme that is operated in the interests of local residents and local business could generate more revenue from fines than it does from the sale of tickets. Parking charges are stopping people shopping in the town centre.”
Surgeries
Valerie holds regular surgeries. To arrange an appointment, please call the Constituency Office on 01922 635835
published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road walsall WS1 3AU
Walsall South
To Contact Valerie:
Constituency Office: 114a Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1SZ
Telephone: 01922 635835
Westminster Office: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Telephone: 020 7219 7176
Email: valerie.vaz.mp@parliament.uk
For further information, please visit: http://www.valerievazmp.co.uk
VALERIE WELCOMES COUNCIL U-TURN ON BAIL HOSTEL
Valerie has welcomed confirmation that the former Moxley Infants School site will be sold with a development brief for residential use, ruling out plans for a 40 bed bail hostel to be opened on the site.
“I am astonished that the Council thought it could do a behind the scenes deal with the Staffs and West Midlands Probation Trust to sell the land for a bail hostel. I had to step in to find out what was going on so that local residents could be informed. In my view, the questions that we asked and the Trust’s failure to engage with local residents’ reasonable concerns made it impossible for this development to go ahead.”
Valerie said: “After pressure, the Council has made a rapid u-turn and announced that it has decided to sell the site with a devel-opment brief for residential uses. The Trust has confirmed to me that the Council will not sell it the land and that plans to open a 40 bed bail hostel on the site will now not go ahead.”
“I wrote to the Chief Executive of Walsall MCB on 9 March 2012 to seek confirmation that this means the site must be used for housing and not for a bail hostel. He has confirmed to me that the Council will not sell the land to the Trust.”
Health and Social Care Act
In Parliament, Valerie opposed the Health and Social Care Act and called on the Government to abandon its reorganisation of the National Health Service.
Speaking in the House of Commons during an urgent Opposi-tion Debate on 13 March 2012, Valerie said: “If the Bill was so good in the first place and so necessary, why did it have a pause for a rethink? There have been almost 2000 amend-ments but the Bill is still unclear: if GPs are in control why are there commissioning support groups? Who are the groups accountable to? The Secretary of State says that the numbers of managers are being cut, but management consultants are crawling all over the NHS.”
“A GP wrote to me to say that GPs are disengaged and uninspired with the Bill. GPs have no ex-perience of a business model. Nor do they want to be business managers.”
The Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012 .
International Women’s Day
On 8 March 2012, Valerie spoke during a Commons debate marking International Women’s Day 2012.
Valerie said: “Not for nothing are the scales of justice held by a woman. It is our right to be treated as equals. It is not only our right, but our duty, to get justice and equality for the next genera-tion.”
Mencap Event
On 2 March 2012 Valerie spoke about social care and rights for people with a learning disability, at the County Hotel in Walsall.
Valerie said: “There needs to be much more integration of services for people with disabilities and older peo-ple. Care Trusts such as Torbay have been pioneer-ing integrated care but I am concerned that this will be disrupted under the NHS reorganisation.”
High Parking Charges
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Valerie reveal that Walsall Borough Council’s income from parking charges exceeded £1.1 million from November 2010 to November 2011.
Valerie said: “I was appalled to learn that Walsall MBC’s income from parking charges from No-vember 2010 to November 2011 was £1,185,395. The breakdown of the figures showed that more than £611,269 was income from Penalty Charge Notices and £566,486 was raised from the sale of parking tickets.”
“The parking regime in Walsall is out of control. It is difficult to see how a well run scheme that is operated in the interests of local residents and local business could generate more revenue from fines than it does from the sale of tickets. Parking charges are stopping people shopping in the town centre.”
Surgeries
Valerie holds regular surgeries. To arrange an appointment, please call the Constituency Office on 01922 635835
published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road walsall WS1 3AU
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